Massage therapist working at UIC charged with sexually abusing 2 students

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Pedestrians at the University of Illinois at Chicago campus on Sept. 10, 2018. | Colin Boyle/Sun-Times

A University of Illinois at Chicago massage therapist has been charged with sexually abusing two students while working on the school’s campus.

Curt Schultz, 52, is charged with criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery after he allegedly touched the genitals of two students when they came to him for massages on separate occasions, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Schultz was still employed by the school as of Friday afternoon, according to university spokeswoman Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez.

Curt Schultz | Cook County sheriff’s office

Curt Schultz | Cook County sheriff’s office

One of the students, a 32-year-old man, went to Schultz for a massage on Tuesday, according to prosecutors and a public safety alert posted by the university.

The man told Schultz he wanted him to focus on his upper back, but Schultz gave him a full body massage instead. During the massage, Schultz allegedly touched the man inappropriately multiple times, making him uncomfortable. He also touched his genitals during the massage on several occasions, prosecutors said. The man reported the incident to campus police the following day.

After the university released the public safety alert on Thursday, a 25-year-old man who is also a student at the university came forward with additional allegations, prosecutors said. The man also accused Schultz of touching his genitals repeatedly during a massage.

Schultz was hired by the university on June 18 for a temporary position to perform massage therapy services for the Campus Recreation Department, McGinnis Gonzalez said. He was taken into custody Thursday evening by university police in the 700 block of South Halsted.

Judge Stephanie Miller set Schultz’s bail at $5,000 during a hearing Friday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building and ordered him to submit to electronic monitoring if he posts bond. He was scheduled to return to court Nov. 15.


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